Education

Washoe County Schools are opening their doors Monday to 63,000 students as K-12 classes get underway. Reno Public Radio's Michelle Bliss has the details on two district-wide changes going into effect this school year.

One big change is that all kindergartners in Washoe now have access to free full-day schooling. The state legislature approved funding to roll this out statewide a year from now, but the Washoe County School District has decided to offer it at every elementary school now.

College students who take 15 credits or more a semester – which is considered full-time – have a better chance at graduating. That’s according to Nevada higher education officials. And their philosophy seems to be paying off.

Truckee Meadows Community College will be offering bachelor's degree programs for the first time starting next year. Reno Public Radio's Michelle Bliss reports.

One degree will be in emergency management and homeland security. The other will be in logistics operations management, which includes everything from manufacturing to warehousing to sustainability practices.

All week, KUNR has been exploring the challenges that young people face on their way to graduation. But some obstacles are often too hard to overcome. Reno Public Radio’s Esther Ciammachilli spoke to Ian Moline, who says transiency and a self-described “egregious drug addiction” held him back.

We often hear Nevada’s high school graduation rate described as low, dismal, embarrassing. It sits at 70 percent while some states are approaching 90. Even though Nevada lags behind, there is a growing patchwork of programs and interventions that are working. For our series “Making It To Graduation,” Reno Public Radio’s Michelle Bliss talks to some of the educators and mentors who are on the ground level trying to improve the graduation rate one kid at a time.

Next year, voters in Washoe County may have to decide on whether to increase local taxes to pay for school construction and repairs. Reno Public Radio's Michelle Bliss has the details.

Right now, the school district says it needs about $50 million each year to keep up with critical repairs for its oldest facilities and to house more students. Overcrowding is already an issue and enrollment is projected to grow by 1.7 percent annually. That means the district will need to open 15 new buildings over the next decade.

All week, KUNR has been looking at students who have excelled despite adversity. Some who have intellectual challenges like autism have a harder time finishing high school and in fact, only about a third in Washoe County actually do. Making it to graduation has been a struggle for one young man who suffers from this disorder, as Reno Public Radio’s Esther Ciammachilli explains.

A historic tax hike of more than a billion dollars will soon help reform K-12 education in Nevada. But how will that money be tracked to make sure it supports real improvement? And during such a severe teacher shortage, who will even be on the ground level to implement change?

To get the answers, Reno Public Radio’s Michelle Bliss talked to Dale Erquiaga, the state superintendent of public instruction. Their conversation is part of our series Making It To Graduation.

Nevada lawmakers are reviewing a bill that would require elementary and middle school students to learn about personal finance. Reno Public Radio's Michelle Bliss reports.

Right now, state law only requires financial literacy lessons for high school students.

High school Senior Kyle Walker from Las Vegas is a member of the Nevada Youth Legislature and spoke at a committee hearing on the bill Tuesday. He says simply being prepared for college isn't enough anymore.